This invention relates generally to the field of blood testing equipment, and in particular to an apparatus which enables measurement of the clotting time of blood without requiring continuous inspection of the sample.
In the course of various medical treatments, it is often desirable to know the clotting time of the blood of a patient. Also of use is a determination of the sedimentation rate of the blood, as well as the hematocrit, the percentage of solid constituents found in the blood. Previously, the methods of testing for such determinations have required more or less continuous, or at least periodic, inspection of the sample, examples of such prior art methods being the Lee-White Method or the Capillary Tube Method.
The more or less continuous inspection required by the above methods has the effect of requiring the expenditure, by trained personnel, of an undue amount of time in obtaining the desired data. This results in both the need for increased personnel to properly staff a testing facility as well as increased costs for such tests due to the labor required to perform them. It is therefore desirable to remove the need for the personal attendance of trained personnel during the performance of such tests, thereby reducing labor and medical costs.